Census

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Ohio denominations, view the Ohio Church Records wiki page.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:

Catholic

1796–2004Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection includes images of parish registers recording the events of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death in the Diocese of Toledo (Ohio), Roman Catholic Church. These records are accessed by browsing the images by county. In addition to traditional parish registers, this collection includes miscellaneous cemetery records, Books of the Elect, Professions of Faith, Sick Call registers, etc.

Court Records

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gazetteers

Genealogy

History

Local histories are available for Wood County, Ohio Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Ohio Local Histories.

Wood County is located in northwestern Ohio and is surrounded by Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Hancock, Putnam and Henry counties. Wood County was established 1 April 1820 from Logan County and is named for Colonel E. Wood who fought in the War of 1812 and helped build Fort Meigs, which is located on the northern border of the county.[2]

Fort Meigs was built by General William Henry Harrison on a high bluff of the southern bank of the Maumee River to the east of tbe town of Perrysburg and was named for the Governor of Ohio Return Jonathan Meigs.[3]

Originally, the land that became Wood County was swamp land known as the Black Swamp and was inhabited by a variety of native american tribes such as the Wyandot, Miami, Ottawa, Erie, Seneca and Pottawatomie.[4] The land was very lush with forests of large oak, sycamore and hickory trees; wildlife native to this part of Ohio are boar, black bears, timber wolves and bobcats.[5] Draining of the swamp and clearing the trees began in the 1850s as settlers moved in to create farm land and since then, Wood County has been mostly agricultural in nature, covered by farms growing mostly soybeans, corn and wheat.[6]

After the treaty of Brownsville in 1808, construction of the Western Reserve Road began. The road connected the Maumee River to the western edge of the Connecticut Reserve stretching from Fort Meigs to Fremont, along present day U.S. Route 20.[7] This route was difficult to travel due to high levels of water from rains and overflowing creeks, and the added danger of insects carrying diseases such as malaria.[8]

Bowling Green, founded in 1834, is the county seat and is centrally located. It is the home of Bowling Green State University, established as the “State Normal School” in 1910 for training teachers; the first classes being held in 1914 and the first bachelor’s degrees awarded in 1917.[9]

A vast majority of the settlers to Wood County were from Germany or other Germanic-derived countries; in the 1990 US Census 31% of the Bowling Green population and 40% of the Perrysburg population claimed to have German ancestry.[10]

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Ohio Land and Property for additional information about early Ohio land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed. Deeds, estates, plat maps and other property records are located at the Wood County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402. These records may be copied or photographed and are available to the public. Records from 1821 through 1919 have been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library.

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Land and Property Records in online catalogs like:

United States Geological Surveyhttp://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/Ohio Catalog of topographic and other Published Maps. This print publication is now available online at the link above. You can download historical topographical maps as well.

Civil War

Civil War service men from Wood County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Wood County.

For more Ohio newspaper information see the Newspaper Guides on the wiki page Ohio Newspapers.
Online NewspapersOnline Newspaper AbstractsNewspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

The libraries listed above have excellent collections of microfilmed newspapers for Wood County, including the small town and rural newspapers. The primary newspaper for the area was the Wood County Sentinel (also known as The Daily Sentinel, The Daily Sentinel-Tribune and other variations). Many of the newspapers are being cataloged and filmed via Chronicling America at the Library of Congress: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court. From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. Most counties transferred all records to the Probate Court, but in some circumstances, Court of Common Pleas records should be searched for records prior to 1852. Most records are housed at the Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Courthouse. Some records are on microfilm at the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:

1790–1967 - Ohio, Probate Records, 1790-1967 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection consists of probate records and estate files from county courthouses in Ohio. The content and time period varies by county, with more records being added as they become available. This Collection will include records from 1789 to 1996. Currently, (September 2012) the collection is only searchable by browsing the images. A list of Fires that have destroyed records in the courthouses of several counties are listed on the Record Description page.

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:

Courthouse and Vital Records

Clerk Court has divorce records from 1851and court records; Pro Judge has birth records to 1908, marriage, death and probate records; County Health Departmenthas birth records from 1908; County Recorder has land records[12]There is an online index available at the above website.

Libraries

Wood County District Public Library251 N. Main StreetBowling Green, Ohio 43402419.352.5104http://www.wcdpl.org/localAvailable records: Bowling Green phone books and city directories, family histories, Wood County First Families list, military rosters, newspapers on microfilm (Sentinel-Tribune under it’s various titles and other surrounding area newspapers. There are some gaps but collection is through the present.) They maintain a variety of publications, books and journals about Wood County but also have references for other counties as well. Also, Ancestry Library Edition is available for use in the library.

Bowling Green State University - Center for Archival Collections5th Floor - Jerome LibraryBowling Green State UniversityBowling Green, Ohio 43403419.372.2411Hours vary, check website for schedulehttp://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/Available records: manuscript collection, local government records, newspaper collection (for all of northwest Ohio and some in southern Michigan – full list on website), Civil War records, rare books and special collections. Website contains geographical name information by county.Microfilm rolls may be purchased through the CAC.

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential CenterSpiegel GroveFremont, Ohio 43420419.332.2081Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pmhttp://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/Available records: besides the President’s own books and manuscripts, also are materials about the Lake Erie area, family papers and an obituary index for Northwest Ohio. There is an online catalog maintained through Bowling Green State University website.

Museums

Wood County Historical Center and Museum13660 County Home Rd.Bowling Green, Ohio 43402419.352.0967Hours vary, check website for schedulehttp://www.woodcountyhistory.orgThe museum publishes the Black Swamp Chanticleer newsletter. There is no online catalog but they ask that you contact the curator if you are trying to locate something specific. They collect artifacts and items of historical interest to the Wood County area such as farm equipment, documents, etc. The museum is located at what used to the be the Poor Farm also known as “The Home.”

Societies

Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical SocietyP.O. Box 722Located in Courthouse SquareBowling Green, Ohio 43402419.354.9557Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 12:00pmhttp://www.wcogs.orgAvailable records: Publications for sale include indexes to probate records of births, deaths, marriages, naturalization, cemeteries, agricultural census and plat maps. Will do research and look-ups for a fee. There are several online indexes and databases available as well at the above website.

Taxation

Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page Ohio Taxation.

Microfilm: "Tax records, Auditor 1822-1850" contains 3 rolls, beginning with film number 522854, available through the Family History Library.

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:

Vital Records

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Although Ohio enacted a statute in 1856 -1857 requiring registration of births, deaths and marriages, many counties did not comply. A second law was written in 1867 but, again, was not always followed. By 1908, the law was more clearly defined and kept. Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954 while the Ohio Historical Society houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased. Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wood County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like: